


Memories

by LordKaiserthe1st



Series: Rose Redemption AU [10]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Episode s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, Rose resurrection AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 02:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18356954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordKaiserthe1st/pseuds/LordKaiserthe1st
Summary: With Steven spending time away, Rose and Greg take the time to spend an afternoon together. But it seems Rose has something she wants to share with Greg.





	Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! Okay, it's definitely been a while! Sorry to keep people waiting. I appreciate your patience and understanding! Meant to get this out a few weeks ago, but life got in the way. Anyhow, I decided that I wanted to have a fic sort of focused on Rose's relationship to more characters than just Steven. I hope to get more out in the coming weeks. Feel free to leave feedback!

Greg couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten to spend time solely with Rose. Of course, he would join her and Steven when they would spend time bonding together, sometimes to enjoy the sights in and around Beach City, other times to help Greg at the Carwash and keep him company. But when he had offered to take them out on a lunch date with just the two of them, she noticeably jumped at the chance to enjoy his company.

He joked about taking her out for a lovely dinner date sometime with how much money he had to spend now compared to back then, champagne on ice and all. But he knew the two of them didn’t care for fine dining that much. She never seemed concerned with anything fancy or expensive that he could recall from their time together. He knew just a shared meal at Fishstew pizza was fancy enough for the both of them.

“You know I like any topping, so I’ll let you pick.” Greg suggested. She looked back to him, Greg feeling almost embarrassed about how much the sight of her still took his breath away. “It was very sweet of you to take me here.” She replied.

Greg simply shrugged his shoulders, “Well, it looked like you wanted out of the house for a bit, I figured we could spend some time together with Steven over at Connie’s this weekend.” he reasoned. Rose scanned the room around their table while a gentle smile appeared on her full lips, “Greg, do you remember when we came here one night when I was pregnant with Steven?”

“The night when you attempted to convince Pearl to try Pizza?” He responded, causing Rose to let out that adorable little giggle he had once thought he’d never hear again, “Oh my goodness.” She started, rolling her eyes, “I tried to tell her it wouldn’t be nearly as messy if she used a knife and fork. But the moment the cheese melted off the slice she turned and scream ‘Ahhh Rose, get it away from me!’.” She said as she broke out in laughter. Greg chuckled, “I’m happy I get to spend time with you again.” He breathed softly.

Rose held out her hand at the middle of the table for him to take hold of, “I love you.” He smiled, “I love you too.” He felt he could lose himself staring into her deep, dark eyes for days. Despite how eventful these last few years had been, each moment spent, each kiss they since shared felt as though it made those years melt away and he was once more just a young rock star owning little else aside from the shirt on his back, his beat-up van, and his dreams of fame all over again.

But today felt different. Despite the pleasantries they shared now, he felt there was more to her decision to take up his offer with such gusto. Even now, he could see Rose’s smile rapidly vanish as she looked away. Leaving only a troubled look on her face as though there was something she wanted to share but for one reason or another just couldn’t bring herself to speak. He wondered if he should ask, but waited to see if she would try to say something herself.

“Greg…” she finally said, “There’s something I want to talk to you about, but I’m… scared to tell you…” Her choice of words worried him, “Rose, is everything all right?”

Rose seemed to try to avert her gaze from him. Greg tightened his grip on her hand to provide whatever small measure of comfort he could spare, “You can talk to me, Rose. Whatever it is, I want to hear it.”

“I… I tried to fuse with Pearl the other day…” She paused, awaiting a response of some kind from Greg. But he just wasn’t sure of what to say. Fusion and the like was gem stuff, not exactly his strong suit. He knew there had to be more to this if she wanted to talk to him of all people about this and not Garnet or one of the other gems. “So… what happened?”

Rose almost seemed to squirm with discomfort in her seat, “I suppose I should start from the beginning…”

 

* * *

 

Upon the hand of an ancient statuary, under the unfiltered heat of the summer day, Rose waited beside the washer and dryer that sat almost comically beside her in the stone palm of the Temple monument. She knew too late that finding nothing else to pass the time was an oversight on her part as she impatiently tapped her fingers for the drying cycle to finish. But with nothing but her thoughts to offer companionship, she took a moment to take a step back and see how much her life has changed.

When she had started, she was one of four matriarchs to a race of intergalactic conquerors; she was often told that she was made to rule, to set an example for those at the bottom. Later on, she would reject her old life to leave the family that tormented her to forge a new identity independent what she was made to be.

Afterwards, she became a rebel, a fierce warrior and protector to a planet she fell in love with where she discovered her new role was not to rule, but to protect. Not long after that, she chose to surrender her life in exchange for giving it to her child in the hopes of leaving at least one positive mark to her long and turbulent existence. And now, here she was, a former member of alien royalty and once Earth’s mighty guardian… waiting for these clothes to finish drying. The only thing she ruled over at the moment being a pile of laundry now in desperate need of folding.

She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at the absurdity of it all as she warped into the beach house that sat comfortably in front of the Temple proper. She could only imagine the reaction her younger self would have given to such drastic turns taken in her life. But she knew despite the wildly different path she took from the other Diamonds, she felt… happy. She was part of a new family of her making, one that loved her for her. Unlike the family she had started with, the one she had left behind so long ago after years of pain and turmoil…

She shook her head, as if the bitter memories that still haunted her mind could be something she could physically shake loose and lose altogether. ‘If only I could be so lucky…’ she thought.

Upon stepping off the warp pad, she saw from the corner of her eye the star atop the Temple door begin to glow. As she turned to face it, it split apart and opened to reveal a room filled with an assortment of fountains scattered throughout, water pouring all around them. In moments, Pearl exited from the doorway, her face lighting up upon spotting Rose.

“Oh, Rose. Are you busy at the moment?” She asked. “Well, I just got Steven’s cloths out of the dryer…” Rose replied.

“Well, I was wondering if you could help me with something.” Pearl offered, “It shouldn’t take too long.”

Rose glanced at the laundry basket she held to her side. ‘Well, Steven will be with Connie this weekend’ she reasoned, ‘maybe it can wait until later’.

“Alright, so what are we doing?” Rose asked. Pearl beamed with excitement before leading her inward. “I was hoping someone could help me with parsing through some of my antique swords!” She explained.

Upon setting foot at the top of a fountain in the center of the room, an array of swords arose from the surface of the water. “Normally I prefer to do this myself, but there are moments where the process can be simply grueling…” Pearl stated as she meticulously looked over each individual blade, “and I have been meaning to take some of these to Bismuth for some much-needed maintenance. I mean, just look at this one!” she exclaimed, presenting one such sword. The edges of the blade showing signs of chipping and the faintest hints of rust, the fuller inscribed with characters from an ancient language. “These swords are exceptionally rare! And I’m just letting them rot away…”

Among the collection of archaic weaponry, one in particular had caught her eye. It was a one handed longsword with a guard that shielded the user’s fingers. Despite Pearl’s best efforts to preserve it, though, its age was unmistakable through its weathering. The clear scratch marks along the guard that revealed themselves more plainly in bright light and the slight chipping around the blade’s edges told Rose of the countless battles it had seen through the years.

“Pearl, do you recognize this one?” Rose asked, holding it for her to see. Pearl stopped dead, recognizing it almost immediately, “It was the first sword you ever gave me…” she quietly answered, gently taking hold of it to inspect it. “I remember when I first started to use this. I mean, imagine, a PEARL learning how to fight.”

“You’ve come quite far.” Rose stated, “Now you’re easily the best fighter I know.”

Pearl’s ivory cheeks blushed a shade of baby blue at her remark, “Well, you weren’t so bad yourself...” She replied. “But you were always so fearless!” Rose clarified, miming her impression of Pearl as she assumed a battle stance and holding an imaginary sword to her side. The sight only making Pearl’s blush intensify. “Nothing could keep you down. I don’t think there’s ever been another gem as brave and as determined as you were.”

Pearl tried to cover her face, to hide how touched she was by Rose’s flattery. “Oh, stop!” she said, “You’re just saying that.”

“I mean it though!” Rose persisted, “Sometimes I honestly felt nothing could truly stop you! You always fought to the bitter end like a gem possessed!”

“And after every victory, I would always come running up to you for a…” She stopped, her smile disappearing. A pang of guilt washed over Rose as confusion clouded her mind, “Pearl?” With the mention of her name she quickly regained her bearings, “I… I’m sorry. How silly of me to still feel like this over something thousands of years ago.”

Pearl held her head low to the ground, her gaze focused away from Rose. With her sword still in one hand, she raised the other to hug herself. Rose could plainly decipher from her look a sense of sadness, “Do you… still feel that way… about us?” she asked.

Pearl sighed, setting down her sword alongside the others, “Rose, I never stopped loving you. Even after everything.” Pearl’s eyes glistened with the formation of tears, “When I lost you, I was an absolute wreck. I felt so lost and alone and… unlovable.” That last word especially resonated deeply with Rose. The slight twinge of guilt that nagged her growing into something of a sharp prick.  
Rose sighed, “Pearl… I really do wish things could have worked out between us.” She said wistfully, “It seems like everything I touch, I ruin. Once I was gone, you must have thought I was such a monster for using you like I did.”

Pearl reached out to take hold of Rose’s hand, the touch of her hand feeling so gentle to her own. “Rose, that’s not true at all. Look at all the good you’ve done. You have a wonderful son and a loving partner with Greg. You’ve made plenty of mistakes for certain, but it doesn’t make me think any less of you.” Rose could already feel a tear trickle down the side of her cheek, “Oh Pearl, I still think the world of you. You’re such a wonderful gem and I wish I would have been a better person for you…”

Pearl reached with her free hand to wipe away Rose’s tears. Her hand frozen in place as it caressed her cheek. They looked into each other’s eyes, Rose sure she could see Pearl’s dance with exuberance despite how calm she appeared on the surface. She could feel her face grow warm, her body almost shivering from a rush of adrenaline at the thrill of what would happen. Finally, with no other words between them, they embraced. Pearl’s lips meeting Rose’s, neither of them even noticing their gemstones glow…

 

* * *

 

“So… you two kissed? Is that why you were worried about sharing this with me? You were worried I’d be upset?” Greg asked. By now, the two had become so wrapped up in Rose’s story that neither of them had noticed their order had long since arrived. Right now, he knew what Rose had to say was more important than their date.

Rose looked away, ashamed to face him. She covered her mouth to keep herself from breaking down, “Greg, I’m so sorry.” She whimpered “You did nothing wrong. Especially not to deserve this. I thought she and I were over it all…”

Greg took hold of Rose’s hand once more with both his hands in a comforting gesture, even as he could see her own hand tremble. He could already see dark circles from Rose furiously wiping her eyes. “Rose, I still love you.” Greg reassured, “I know there are a lot of complicated feelings you two have for each other. And for what it’s worth. I’m happy that you’re telling me this now and not trying to hide it from me.”

Rose looked to him in utter bewilderment, “So… you’re not mad?” Greg took a moment to mull over her words. For such a deceptively simple question, Greg knew it would have a far more complicated answer, “I’m upset for sure. But I know you, Rose. I’ve been with you long enough to know you’d never do anything behind my back like this. At least not intentionally.”

Rose smiled, lifting his hand to her lips to kiss it, “Thank you, Greg.” She said, her voice sounding so quiet compared to the ambient noise of the surrounding restaurant. “But you said you two tried to fuse. What was it like?”

Rose gave a heavy sigh, “Well…”

 

* * *

 

For a few moments, she hadn’t even realized what had happened. After first opening her eyes, she looked around to look for Rose, or… was she Rose? But she was Pearl, wasn’t she? She looked down at her hands, her skin a soft shade of violet. She gasped, realizing what had just occurred.

“Did we just…” she said, hardly believing what she saw with her own eyes before calmly responding, “I think we did.”

Fear gave way to curiosity over their fusion. How much has it changed? Did they even look the same? Rose’s form may be the same, but her gem was completely different now. She knelt down to catch a glimpse of herself in the water, more surprised by what was still the same than what wasn’t.

There were differences, of course. She tried to hold back a giggle at the sight of seeing Rose’s ‘Mrs. Universe’ shirt underneath Pearl’s jacket. Her feet now adorned with a set of sandals. But the general form, from her long hair to her toes was the same as it had been from when they used to fuse. Before Steven was but a distant fantasy in either Rose or Greg’s wildest dreams. Despite the minor deviations, she was Rainbow Quartz, just as Rose and Pearl had remembered her.

As one, she felt something else that felt familiar. A rush she could feel through her body, the thrill of knowing they weren’t really supposed to be like this, but all the same finding solace existing as one person. She remembered the first time she had formed. At least, the first time she had done so properly. How they at first worried about being caught, only to break out in laughter because they simply didn’t care. They loved one another, and they wanted to be together.

“How long do you want to stay like this?” she asked. A few moments passed before she smiled, answering, “As long as we like.” It had been so long before they had ever fused. There were times where Pearl had wanted to, but both had feared how it would have affected Rose’s pregnancy. And for years Pearl had felt a void she couldn’t fill, though not for lack of trying. Even through the momentary distraction though, she noticed from the corner of their eyes what looked to be a lone butterfly fluttering past them…

“Starlight.”

She flinched. The echo of a distant, domineering voice booming in her head that had seemed to come from no specific direction. But just the same, she frantically looked around them. The tranquil fountains that decorated Pearl’s room vanishing in a void of white light. A radiant glow stung her eyes and forced her to cover them until it passed. When it did, an all too familiar figure stood in its place.  
She felt the reflex that would release a gasp in surprise, but curiously, no sound escaped. All the while she felt herself shrink under White Diamond’s gaze. “Now just what do you and your new Pearl think you’re doing?”

She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, no words escaped. She felt a tickle in the back of her throat as she fought to make a sound. “Well, have you anything to say for yourself?” White questioned, her tone growing harsher with every syllable. Rainbow Quartz choked and collapsed to her knees to answer her, “Giving me the silent treatment are you?” She coughed into her hand, pulling it back to see a rose petal resting in her palm.

Before long, more petals billowed outward as she tried desperately to gasp for air. She reached for her throat, her fingertips meeting the prickly thorns of something entangling her neck. She tried to fight through the pain of the thorns digging into their fingers as she pulled with all her might to free herself. But the more she pulled, the tighter it held on. She wanted to cry for help, but all that came was a faint whimper.

Either White had not taken notice of her plight or simply didn’t care as she gave an agitated sigh. “I was hoping you would have learned your lesson after we had to take away your last Pearl…” a second figure emerged, a thin gem that stood beside White, her arms held out to either side while a scar covered her left eye. “You only have yourself to blame here, dear. You can’t afford to be such a terrible influence for your gems.”

Rainbow Quartz’s mind screamed in protest. ‘No! Please, don’t do this!’ she begged, straining to make some semblance of noise, the only thing escaping her mouth being another handful of petals. ‘Pearl had nothing to do with this. We’ll stop, please. Please don’t take her away. I’ll be good this time, I promise!’ she pleaded in silence, breaking down in tears.

Without warning, she could feel the floor beneath them give way. Soon, she plummeted downward before hitting the floor with a loud thud. She groaned in pain as she slowly rose to her feet, her voice finally surfacing as she gasped in fright.

She knew this place. Rose knew this place. They surveyed the room, feeling Rose’s hysteria overtake her as she looked around the featureless wall surrounding them, a lone ray of light piercing the overwhelming darkness. “You’ll just have to sit here and think about the example you’re setting for everyone looking like that!” White plainly stated, her voice being heard from all around her.

She hyperventilated in panic. She ran for the door, striking it as hard it she possibly could. She knew she was too weak to break through. The others would always remind her of how weak she was compared to them. They had built this place to hold her. To keep her prisoner. They hoped the threat of isolation would be enough to break her spirit. And for a few centuries, she was sure that it would. That a deathless being would find their own end within these walls.

She hoped that maybe at least Blue or Yellow would be easier on her this time. The former especially. That she wouldn’t need to spend any more time in here than she could stand. She wanted so badly to just scream in desperation ‘Please! Please, no! I don’t want this! Somebody, anybody let me out!’ But yet again, nothing, her voice still lost to her.

Everything seemed to come rushing back to her all at once. How long would she be locked up in here? A day? A Year? A Century? It was likely that for something like this she could be trapped for up to a millennium. A full millennium. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to her in all that time locked away. All that time struggling to cry out in a futile grasp for freedom. The world around her carrying on as she suffered, begging to be heard.

Her vision blurred as she collapsed to the floor. Her body curled by the door until finally her form became encompassed in light…  
At last, when the light finally died down, Rainbow Quartz had vanished. Rose and Pearl standing in her place. The room around them restored. For what felt like a lifetime, not a word was spoken. Pearl sat in silence, too shocked to say anything before looking to Rose who appeared to have fallen apart entirely, the experience leaving her a sobbing mess as she covered her mouth to hide how distressed she truly was.

“Rose?”

Rose didn’t know what to say to her, assuming she could even say anything past her blubbering. But she wanted to say something to her. Something to help make this better. Out of panic, she scrambled to her feet and bolted out as Pearl sat back and watched her leave.

 

* * *

 

 

Greg didn’t really know what to say to her as she seemed to fall apart right in front of him. She reached for the napkin beside her to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I haven’t spoken to Pearl since yesterday.” She said, “I don’t know how to explain this to her. I… I thought I was getting better. This never happened when I fused with Pearl in the past…”

“Why do you think you saw White Diamond?” Greg asked. Rose paused, he couldn’t tell whether it was to pull herself together or to try to explain her vision to him. “Did I ever tell you about my first Pearl?” she asked. “Steven told me about seeing her on Homeworld.” He answered truthfully. To his recollection, Steven either didn’t have much to say on the matter or didn’t want to recall much from his visit in general. Whenever the subject would be brought up, he would usually laugh it off and try to change the subject.

“I had always had a fondness for organic life, even before Earth. Back then, like the other Diamonds, I had a Pearl made just for me. She quickly became my first friend. For a very long time she was my only friend. I always felt as though I could be myself around her…” Greg noted she seemed to recite this with a great sense of fondness, a sincere smile breaking through her pained expression. But he knew there had to be more to this, “So… what happened to her?”

Her smile immediately seemed to melt away, “A day came when one antic involving the organic life of another budding colony was one too many…” she said, “And… White had decided to make an example of her. Perhaps to scare me out of ever repeating the same mistake again.”

There was something about the way she hung on her words, as if just outright saying what White had done was something too awful to share with him after years of keeping the memory of the experience to herself. But from what Greg knew, this wasn’t their Pearl, there had to be more here to connect them. “What did this have to do with our Pearl?”

Rose tried to swallow the lump in her throat, “When I first decided to be Rose Quartz, I could tell Pearl was different around me. She started to open up with me. She eventually began to approach me as a friend and not a servant.” Through the tears, Greg could almost spot the ghost of a smile at her recollection. “Then one day, she told me that she loved me.” She chuckled, as though the notion sounded completely absurd saying it out loud, “She LOVED me! That was the first time I ever heard those words from anyone and felt that they meant it, because I was never afraid around them.”

Greg couldn’t help but think the statement sounded strange in his head. If you loved someone, why would you be afraid of them? How could you ever be honest with yourself around someone you were afraid of? If you had to put on some image to appear at ease around someone you felt anxious around, could that even really be love?

As Greg pondered, Rose continued. “She loved me, and I loved her. I wanted to do better by her. I wanted to be a better friend for her than I was with my last Pearl” she held her head low all while she fidgeted with her hands, “But it seems the people I love either hurt me, or last long enough for me to hurt them…” she stated grimly.

Greg could hear her words be weighed by the strain brought on by years of trauma and internalized guilt by just sharing what she could say to him now here, alone. Or at least at a place where the both of them felt safe. He couldn’t help but feel just a little proud of her and could only imagine how much it hurt to share all of this right now but still possess the strength to do so all the same. She certainly had come far from the days where she would choose to remain cryptic with her past. Where the idea of speaking of who she was back then would shut down a conversation and cause her to have to hide behind her own mental barriers.

But what she was saying now? Greg knew that wasn’t true. At least it wasn’t how he saw it, “You didn’t hurt me.” He said.

His words did little to ease her as she looked to him with a mournful expression, “I hurt our son. I lied about who I was.”

Greg only gave a sigh and a warm smile, “Rose, you gave me the most wonderful gift I could ever asked for; Steven. And before that, I spent the best moments of my life with the one person I loved. You got better.”

“I still hurt her…” Rose quietly restated.

“You can make it up to her by talking about what you both went through and how it makes you feel.” Greg reassured, “If you’re nervous, maybe I can help you.”

Rose’s features lit up in surprise at his offer, “You’d do that? For me?” she said in amazement. Greg took a seat next to her, placing an arm over her shoulder as he reached to kiss her cheek. “Rose?” He whispered, “You’re my wife. We’re a team now. And I want to help support you as best as I can.”

Greg could feel Rose’s larger hand tremble in his as she returned his kiss, causing his heart to skip a beat. “I really don’t deserve you, you know that?” She said with a chuckle. Even as a joke, however, he knew she was being completely sincere with her statement. It still didn’t sit well with him how she always seem to tear herself down, even as a gesture to build someone back up. “Don’t say that. You didn’t trick me or Pearl into loving you.” He stated, the weight of his words catching Rose by surprise, “You are not nearly as bad as you think you are.”

Greg could already see her eyes water once more as she pulled him into the tightest hug she could muster, at least he assumed it was from the muffled sound of his spinal cord popping from Rose’s grip. “How did someone as thoughtful as you ever fall in love with a mess like me?” Rose asked. Greg smiled, “It was easier than you think. I appreciate that you trust me enough to share all of this with me. What White did to your friend was not your fault. What she did and how it hurt you? You didn’t deserve that.” He reassured, “Just say the word, Rose and we’ll head home to talk to Pearl. Alright?” Greg whispered. Without another word Rose gave a light nod.

It was almost unsettling how quiet Rose was on the way back. Every few paces, Greg would turn to see if Rose was still willing to go through with their plan. Though she undoubtedly look scared, he could also see her almost push herself with every step. Whenever it felt like she was starting to slow down, he would take hold of her hand. Just enough to show that he was here for her.

After what felt like an eternity, they had finally returned to the beach house at the front of the Temple. Greg looked to see if Rose was still determined to speak to Pearl again, noticing her hands shaking as she rubbed them nervously. “Rose?” he said, his voice breaking her momentarily out of her trance, “Are you up for this?”

Rose pondered for a minute, her eyes darting back and forth as she seemed to go over her options in her head, “Yes.” She quietly said.

In his head, Greg had hoped that Pearl wouldn’t be home, at least not yet. At least then they would have some time to process what Rose wanted to say, with some more time any remaining tensions would have died out. At least, that was what he would have preferred. But the moment the two of them stepped forward into the Temple, they were immediately spotted by Pearl and another from the couch.

Greg recognized the visitor as Bismuth, her rainbow colored dreads and large stature unmistakable. Now he started to worry. Bismuth usually was very friendly with others, including himself even after learning of his association to Rose. But it wasn’t often that he would see them interact. And goodness knows how much Pearl had told her, or how Bismuth would react.

He looked to see Rose as she herself appear to be gripped by a similar sense of trepidation as she appeared frozen. Greg wasn’t sure how for how long they stood, staring at one another without sharing a word. Rose almost looking as though she were crumbling like paper under Bismuth’s glare until the later finally spoke, her eyes darting in Pearl’s direction. “Well, I guess I better leave you two to talk this over. Remember you can always come to me with stuff like this, okay? I hate to see you upset.” She said before turning her attention back to Rose. “Rose.”

Rose cleared her throat, “Bismuth.”

Bismuth turned to leave, vanishing in a flash of light as she stepped upon the Temple warp pad. The deafening silence returned as Rose tried to take a spot opposite to Pearl while she tried to avoid staring directly at her.

After a few awkward minutes, Greg thought perhaps now wasn’t the best time. That maybe they needed to wait until tension had settled and they could open up to each other again. But just as he approached Rose to leave, she at last spoke up. “Pearl, I’m sorry.” She said, Pearl raised a hand to cover her mouth, “When we first came to Earth, making you join me in the fight for Earth, helping me fake my shattering…” Rose’s eyes were now welling with tears as she listed each transgression, “forcing you to keep my darkest secret… I was an awful friend and a worse lover. I wish I could take it all back. I know there’s no forgiving what I’ve done, as I can’t tell you to do so. But know that I am sorry.”

Pearl sighed, rising to her feet. Despite Rose’s larger built and greater height, Greg could plainly see the fear in her eyes as Pearl approached her. He wasn’t sure what she had in mind by the time she was practically standing right next to her. Before Greg could react, Pearl reached out to envelope Rose into as tight a hug as her tiny frame could muster.

“I forgive you.” Pearl whispered. “I should have talked to you about how I felt sooner. But I didn’t know when it was the right time. And I knew when you came back, that you would be desperate to spend time with Steven. After all, you had been waiting for over fourteen years for that moment.” She joked, wiping her eyes while giving a halfhearted laugh. “But the truth is, I was angry. I was angry with both of us. I knew I needed to say something. And I was angry because I felt… used by you. Like what I felt didn’t matter. I should have pushed you harder into thinking about how I felt.”

Rose sniffed and wiped her eyes as she tried to speak, “I should have known. I should have known better. You deserve nothing but the best. And I wasn’t it. I loved you, and part of me still does…”  
Pearl tried to tighten her already surprisingly firm grip around Rose. “Rose, it’s over. The past is the past. You say that you wanted to be a better person for me. But I think it would be wise if you were a better person for Greg. I do miss what we had. But we can’t change the past. We should just cherish what we have now. I’m happy to just be your friend.” She said earnestly.

Rose nodded in agreement, hoisting Pearl up in a mighty hug of her own. “Thank you, My Pearl. I promise, I’ll be a better friend. I never want to hurt you or anyone else like that again!” She managed to muster between sobs. Greg covered his mouth to hold back a chuckle as he saw Pearl struggle to free herself from Rose’s grip. “Uh, Rose, dear?” She said, her voice strained, “You can let me down now…”  
Realizing that she had lost herself in the moment, Rose’s cheeks warmed to where it seemed to glow through her hands in her effort to conceal her embarrassment, nearly causing Pearl to drop to the floor. The sight of it all summoning a giggle from Pearl. “And if you’d like. I think it might help to speak with Garnet together.” She offered, “Things may never be the same between us, but I would like to try fusing with you again sometime.”

Rose wiped her eyes once more and gave a heartened grin, “I… I would like that.”


End file.
